Gaza conflict: New exchanges amid Israeli soldier hunt
Palestinian officials said 55 people had died in Israeli strikes on Saturday, most in Rafah, where the soldier, Hadar Goldin, went missing.
A series of rocket attacks into Israel was reported on Saturday morning.
Later Israel sent messages to Palestinians in northern Gaza saying that they could return home.
"We have told Beit Lahia residents that they may return to their homes. We advised them to avoid explosives placed by Hamas across the area", the Israel Defence Forces tweeted.
Some 1,655 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 65 Israelis, all but two soldiers, have died in the conflict.
A Thai worker was also killed in Israel. Some 8,900 Palestinians have also been injured, the health ministry in Gaza says.
A 72-hour ceasefire had been agreed, starting from Friday morning, but collapsed hours later.
Hamas accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire but the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had been forced to respond to militant rocket fire.
On Saturday, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi insisted an Egyptian ceasefire plan offered a "real chance" to end the bloodshed.
'Time is decisive'
Palestinian officials said that there had been a series of Israeli air strikes around Rafah since midnight, killing at least 35 people.
The BBC's Bethany Bell in Israel says there is an "enormous sense of solidarity" with soldiers on the front line as the hunt for Lt Goldin continues
line
Even if the peace talks do finally get going in Cairo, they will be complicated by a host of conflicting sympathies and regional tensions. Egypt, the traditional mediator between the Israelis and Palestinians, is no longer on an equal footing with the warring parties.
Since the Muslim Brotherhood was overthrown and Mohammed Morsi deposed last year, the government of Abdul Fattah al-Sisi sees Hamas, an offshoot of the Brotherhood, as a terrorist organisation. Turkey and Qatar, the two regional negotiators, now have poor relations with Egypt due to their support for the Brotherhood.
The Turkish prime minister recently called President Sisi an "illegitimate tyrant" and three journalists from the Qatari-based TV channel Al-Jazeera remain in prison for what Cairo calls "aiding" the Islamists.
And of course the US and Israel refuse to talk directly to Hamas. Amidst this complex atmosphere full of animosity, it's unsurprising that there's little optimism here about a genuine breakthrough.
A series of rocket attacks into Israel was reported on Saturday morning.
Later Israel sent messages to Palestinians in northern Gaza saying that they could return home.
"We have told Beit Lahia residents that they may return to their homes. We advised them to avoid explosives placed by Hamas across the area", the Israel Defence Forces tweeted.
Some 1,655 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 65 Israelis, all but two soldiers, have died in the conflict.
A Thai worker was also killed in Israel. Some 8,900 Palestinians have also been injured, the health ministry in Gaza says.
A 72-hour ceasefire had been agreed, starting from Friday morning, but collapsed hours later.
Hamas accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire but the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had been forced to respond to militant rocket fire.
'Time is decisive'
Palestinian officials said that there had been a series of Israeli air strikes around Rafah since midnight, killing at least 35 people.
The BBC's Bethany Bell in Israel says there is an "enormous sense of solidarity" with soldiers on the front line as the hunt for Lt Goldin continues
line
Even if the peace talks do finally get going in Cairo, they will be complicated by a host of conflicting sympathies and regional tensions. Egypt, the traditional mediator between the Israelis and Palestinians, is no longer on an equal footing with the warring parties.
Since the Muslim Brotherhood was overthrown and Mohammed Morsi deposed last year, the government of Abdul Fattah al-Sisi sees Hamas, an offshoot of the Brotherhood, as a terrorist organisation. Turkey and Qatar, the two regional negotiators, now have poor relations with Egypt due to their support for the Brotherhood.
The Turkish prime minister recently called President Sisi an "illegitimate tyrant" and three journalists from the Qatari-based TV channel Al-Jazeera remain in prison for what Cairo calls "aiding" the Islamists.
And of course the US and Israel refuse to talk directly to Hamas. Amidst this complex atmosphere full of animosity, it's unsurprising that there's little optimism here about a genuine breakthrough.
